Explorers are students with high financial resources and low academic preparedness. They are the most likely to need assistance during the application, as 39% of them chose application requirements as one of their most sought-after areas of information.

Highfliers are students with high financial resources and high academic preparedness, and family support is key to their financial independence. 69% of survey respondents indicated family or friends as their main source of funding.

Strivers are students with low financial resources and high academic preparedness. 61% of Strivers indicated that they rely on institutional financial aid, and 35% said they will take out loans to finance their studies.

Strugglers are students with low financial resources and low academic preparedness. Strugglers are the least interested in learning about the reputation of a school, indicating that they have lower expectations for quality.

These insights are integral for U.S. universities and colleges that want to effectively attract and enroll the best fit international students. The report expands the scope of last year’s report and provides a deeper understanding of international student segments at a more granular level. The report highlights differences in prospective international students’ information seeking behavior by level of education — bachelor’s and master’s degree — and key source countries — China, India and Saudi Arabia.

You can access more information about the report via the WES World Education News & Reviews (WENR) website and while you are there you may want to take 20 seconds and subscribe to the free WENR Newsletter as it's well worth it!